Last call for beloved track announcer Tom Durkin

Eric Jenks - The Saratogian: Tom Durkin says goodbye in the winner's circle after making his final call during the 123rd runnning of the Spinaway Sunday, August 31st, 2014, at the Saratoga Race Course.

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Legendary horse-race caller Tom Durkin, 63, took his final turn in the announcer’s booth during the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes on rainy Aug. 31. Two days’ celebration are heralding the end of his 43-year career and the beginning of a well-deserved retirement.

“I want to thank the tens of thousands of dedicated people, from the grooms to the jockeys to the trainers and owners, that help put on this exciting show, remembering, as ever, it is all about these magnificent animals,” Durkin said. “I was fortunate enough to have described the finished product. Most of all, I must thank the people that make everything possible: the racing fans. Thank you again from one lucky announcer.”

Bill Helmer of Delmar was at the track on Sunday with his family. He and his daughter Liz agreed that Durkin was a special part of their days spent at the racecourse.

Advertisement

“His voice is iconic,” Helmer said. “We hear his voice at the track, on the radio, on TV — it has a comforting continuity.”

Liz Helmer said she had been imitating Durkin’s voice since she could talk. Her favorite memory of the announcer was his calling of the 2010 New York State Regatta on Fish Creek, in which she rowed during high school.

“He called the crew race as though it were a horse race,” she said, laughing. “And my team, Albany, won. It was a big upset. We ruined Saratoga’s 10-year winning streak.”

After the Spinaway, the day’s 10th race, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) held a special ceremony in the winner’s circle to honor Durkin, his accomplishments and his final race call.

“Tom Durkin is one of the greatest race callers in history, and we are fortunate to have had him with us here in New York for so many years,” said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay. “It is truly fitting to see Tom take his final bow in Saratoga, a place that he loves and where he is truly beloved.”

Born in Chicago, Durkin began calling races at county fairs in Wisconsin in summer 1971. In 1975, he moved on to ply his trade at a string of small tracks including Cahokia Downs, Balmoral Race Course, Quad City Downs and Miles Park before landing the job at famed Hialeah Race Course in 1981.

Three years later, he was hired as the announcer for the annual Breeders’ Cup, a job he held until 2005, and he gained further fame calling the Triple Crown for a decade beginning in 2001. Durkin began his tenure with NYRA in 1990. Some of his most memorable calls have come on the NYRA circuit of Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. He has called the Saratoga races for the past 25 years.

NYRA recently estimated that Durkin has called 80,000 races throughout his time in the announcer’s booth, about 40,000 in New York. He’s called races at more than 50 tracks and in six countries.

“We encourage racing fans to join us as we celebrate Tom’s storied career and wish him the best with a send-off befitting the affection and admiration felt for this unique, poetic and unparalleled storyteller,” Kay said.

During the 2014 meet’s closing weekend, the racetrack and the city are joining in commemorating Durkin. Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen issued a citywide proclamation that declared Aug. 31, 2014 to be Tom Durkin Day across Spa City. The proclamation read, in part: “For Saratoga race fans, Tom’s voice has been a familiar and reassuring presence, one of the sounds of a Saratoga summer. His warmth and generosity have won him great admiration in our city, and many Saratogians are proud to consider him a friend.”

The celebration will continue on Closing Day, Sept. 1, when Durkin returns to Saratoga Race Course to greet fans, sign autographs and take pictures in the backyard beginning at noon. Classic race calls made by the longtime track announcer during his career will be showcased on the video boards between races throughout the day.

Jay Kiely of Swampscott, Mass., stood at the rail Sunday holding an umbrella over his eight-year-old son, John. The two of them watched a race, then enjoyed a Durkin call replayed on the big screen. John said his favorite Durkin call was the Travers last week.

“Tom could take a two-horse race and make it exciting,” Kiely said.

Kathy Romeo of Rhode Island, at the track Sunday with her husband, Frank, said Durkin would be much missed.

“He would call race after race after race,” she said, “And it would always be pure excitement.”